Sara: Justin and I celebrated our one year wedding anniversary this week. It was a great time to reflect on how our marriage has changed our lives and how we’ve managed to live out our wedding vows this past year as we continue to learn how to say “I do” with our actions.

Truly, marrying Justin was the best decision of my life, and this past year has been the best year of my life. When we met at the altar on our wedding day, I had no idea how much being married to Justin would enrich my life. We’ve had our share of ups and downs this past year – buying a house, me needing to be taken care of during pregnancy, and our living room paint job that took five weeks (and nearly killed both of us). We also had family members with health problems, transitions with our careers, and an emotional pregnancy.

However, I wouldn’t trade our first year of marriage for anything. I’ve learned a lot about myself, Justin and marriage throughout this past year. Mostly, I’ve learned how to better love Justin and sacrifice for him. In our first days as newlyweds, it was easy to sacrifice for him because I was so thrilled simply to be his wife. Now, especially since I’m 8 months pregnant, it’s easy to think I’ll just leave that task for Justin to do later. However, sometimes, it’s important for me to show my appreciation for Justin’s hard work – whether it’s by unexpectedly balancing the checkbook (technically Justin’s task), making dinner after a long day at work, or giving him a backrub.

Justin: We have also changed a lot. Initially, it was hard to come to terms with the fact baby Kraft means our “just the two of us” time is over. However, the other day it struck me that I could not imagine a life without our baby now.

While the “just the two of us days” are fantastic (and in many ways the best days of my life), I can’t help but think that the pregnancy has changed us so much that life would feel a bit empty (like something were missing) if we tried to live that way now. I guess love must be fruitful in order to grow.

That is not to say that I am not scared about being a dad and living up to the sacrifices that it will take each day, including waking up tired and going to bed even more tired. It is just to say that removing those sacrifices would be removing a little piece of me that has grown in my heart just as baby Kraft has grown in Sara’s tummy.

Sara: Despite the twists and turns, we’re both grateful for the good times and the challenges God has placed in our path this past year. Both have helped us grow both as individuals and as a couple, and neither of us can imagine our life any different!